The Beginning of the End
by JessicaDelko
Summary: AU to 5x10. Dean and Sam are on the trail of Lucifer, and they meet up with an old friend with unfortunate news. How will this reunion affect the brothers and will the Winchesters finally end the apocalypse? FINALLY OFF HIATUS
1. Reunions

**Hey everyone! This is my return to fanfic, and I decided to it on my absolute favourite show, Supernatural! I've loved the show forever but was never really sure about a fanfic, but I thought now was the time. Note: This fic was written before 5x10 so it is AU. Hope you enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER ONE: REUNIONS**

She sat at the small table in the motel room, twirling her father's knife in her hand. She waited for them to get back, tell them what was going on, what had happened. She hadn't seen them since they had dealt with the fake demon phenomenon, realizing everyone was hallucinating. She didn't know where else she could go, and lord knows it wasn't easy to track those boys down, but she was better than Dean gave her credit for. She sighed heavily and stood up, throwing the knife full force at the wall, where it stuck dead center of the circle Sam had drawn around Indianapolis. They had been tracking a shape shifter in the area and were having little luck. She pulled the knife out of the wall as the front door opened.

"Jo?"

"Dean, Sam," she said sitting back down.

"How the hell did you find us? How'd you get in here?" Dean asked throwing his duffle onto the bed.

"You don't give me nearly enough credit Winchester, I'm a damn good tracker and a damn good hunter. That's not why I came so just sit down the both of you and listen." The two brothers looked at each other and sat down at the table.

"So why exactly are you here? You run off from mom again or did she send you after us?" Dean's words made her flinch. She turned her back on them and took a deep breath.

"Mom's... Mom's dead." Well now Dean felt like crap.

"Jo, I'm sor-"

"You didn't know, but thanks anyways. Look, Bobby's in the wind, I don't know if they have him or if he's dead too, but I've got nowhere else to go and I know that you can help me kill these sons of bitches that did this," she said, a stony expression on her face.

"Do you know what it was?" Sam asked her.

"Demon, I don't what one though. We were out getting food and it ambushed us heading back to the car. Smoked out of the body before I could get to it, busted some of my ribs throwing me into a tree. Still don't know what he wanted, he... He said something to her before," she paused to catch herself. She slouched down onto the bed and rested her elbows on her knees, "I couldn't help her, couldn't move... Look can I stay with you guys for a while?"

"Absolutely Jo, we'll help you out," Sam said instantly. Dean was going to argue the point, but he knew Jo really had no other place right now, and they needed to find Bobby and find Ellen's killer. Jo could help them out; she'd more than proved herself in the past. He shrugged his jacket off and tossed it onto the chair. He looked at Jo and gave her a look up and down, he knew exactly what was going through her head right now, he and Sam have gone through it all. Dean had Sam, but Jo had no one to go to, except them, and that was a stretch as it was. She tried to give them an appreciative smile, got up and went to the bathroom shutting the door behind her. Dean turned to his brother and gave him a look of confusion.

"So what are we supposed to do? How are we gonna track this demon down? What about Lucifer?" Dean said quietly.

"I don't know, but tracking this demon could help find Lucifer, and it's one less around. We should go back, search Ellen's stuff see if we can find what the demon wanted to know, for a start?" Sam suggested. Jo came back out of the bathroom and silence fell. It was a moment before Sam broke it.

"I think we should go back, see if we can find anything that would suddenly send demons on you, were you working on anything particularly high brow?"

"I wasn't working on much of anything right now, it's been oddly quiet. Mom was doing something with Bobby, wouldn't talk about it much with me. She's always been so careful, what could she have been working on that would have demons on her so fast?" Jo didn't know what to think, was her mom keeping this big a secret from her? She played with the knife again, the movement kept her busy and oddly enough seemed to soothe her. She looked to Dean with worried eyes, "What if they do have Bobby?"

"I don't know Jo, but we're finding Bobby. Grab your stuff, Sam pack up we're heading out now," Dean told them grabbing his duffle once again.

"Wait, where?" Jo asked.

"We're going back to Duluth."

......

It was a long drive back to the former roadhouse. Jo lay in the back seat, a pillow against the door cushioning her back. She had fallen asleep quickly, likely not having slept much on the way to find them. Sam was looking over maps and records from the past few days and calling contacts to see if any word of Bobby had surfaced. Occasionally Jo would stir, a sharp moment or whimper, they knew she couldn't be sleeping well. Sam remembered back to all of the dreams he'd had after Jessica's death.

"Maybe Ellen and Bobby had a lead on the colt, or something to slow Lucifer down. The demons have been much more direct since... After Ellen's we should go to Bobby's, who knows, he might even be locked up in there," Sam suggested, "There's been a lot of activity around Duluth the past week, more than usual, something's going down there and I think Ellen got it the middle."

"Not that it's a bad thing, but why didn't they kill Jo? It seems strange that they'd just leave her to come and find us," Dean wondered out loud.

"Do you think they're waiting for us to come and look around? Could be a trap?"

"We'll be ready for 'em Sammy, no one else is getting killed by these bastards," Dean said, intense concentration in his eyes and they roamed the road ahead. All he could think about now was protecting everyone. Sam, Bobby, Jo. Especially Jo, she wasn't the same, he saw it the moment he saw her. Jo was still in there, but she would always carry this with her. He knew it would get better for her in time, but not now. He looked back at her in the rear view mirror as she slept. She was having a nightmare, he could tell, her body was tense and her movements were sharp. He looked back to the road and continued driving silently.

.....

Ellen set the groceries in the back of the truck as Jo opened her passenger door. She turned back to her mom and saw a man walking by them with a paper bag in his arms. Suddenly, he dropped it, stumbling. Ellen turned to the man and helped him pick up the bag, replacing its contents.

"You alright there?" she asked setting the full bag down between where they had both knelt.

"Sure, _I'm_ alright," the man said looking down. He raised his head to reveal oily black eyes, and then quickly grabbed Ellen by the throat.

"MOM!" Jo yelled, reaching for her knife.

Before she could get her hand to her pocket the demon flicked his free hand in her direction and she was sent flying across the parking lot. She could hear several loud cracks as she collided with the large tree behind her. She fell several feet to the ground where she landed on the protruding roots, more cracks sounding out. Trying to pull herself up as she clutched her ribs and looked up at her mother. He now had her pinned up against the truck and was taunting her. She watched as her mother struggled to reach for one of her knives but she couldn't move, she was struggling for air against the demon's grip. Jo tried to stand but as soon as she got her footing she felt her body push back against the tree, this time she was pinned against the tree, unable to move at all. She could only watch as she struggled against the demon as he spoke. His lips moved but she couldn't understand what he was saying. Her mom spat something back at him, some form of swear word. That's when the demon pulled the knife from inside her mother's jacket. Jo began to scream, yelling to her mother, yelling for help. In a swift moment the demon plunged the long blade into Ellen Harvelle's chest, slowly twisting it around inside her. He yanked it out. The demon stood over her for a moment before beginning to walk away. Jo struggled against her invisible bonds but wasn't released until the man was far out of sight. She fell back to the ground and got up as quickly as she could, running over to her mother. She fell to her side, and turned her onto her back, holding her in her arms.

"Mom? Mom come on, wake up! Please don't...Mom please! Don't leave me, don't go..."

...

Jo gasped loudly, bolting up in the back seat, drenched in a cold sweat. She clutched her ribs that still caused her intense pain. She looked up at Sam who was looking back at her with concern.

"Sorry. Just a dream, sorry if I startled you," she said quietly.

"You don't need to apologize Jo. Anyways, we're almost in Duluth," Sam told her. Her stomach lurched at his words, she wasn't sure if she could handle coming back so soon. In another 20 minutes they were in front of the new Roadhouse. Dean turned off the ignition and got out of the car. Sam followed suit, but Jo just sat there staring at the bar. What would happen to the Roadhouse now? Dean opened her door and she reluctantly got out. She straightened up slightly before a sharp pain encased her body and she stumbled back against the car.

"Whoa, you alright Jo? What's wrong?" Dean asked catching her before she completely fell to the ground.

"Nothing, just still a bit sore from..." Dean knew what she was talking about. He simply nodded and helped her back to her feet. The three of them walked into the bar and took a look around. There were a few patrons inside and Louie and Ernie were working the bar. Their faces grew long at the sight of Jo and they walked over to her.

"Jo-jo... I'm so sorry," Ernie said hugging her.

"Thanks Ernie. You two holding up okay with the bar?" she asked quietly.

"Don't you worry. We'll take care of this. Every hunter in this bar is trying to track it down hope you know, we'll find it," he assured her.

"I know, and I'm going to get to it first," she told him, a strength and anger in her tone different than from what she's been like since they left the motel. Ernie nodded and let Louie in to talk to Jo for a moment. Dean and Sam both turned to Ernie.

"Any news yet? Where to start?" Dean asked.

"Nothing yet, you can ask around the bar, see if they've got anything new," he explained, "I gotta get back to the bar, but you boys find this son of a bitch and put an extra ounce of holy water down it's throat for me."

"We will. We're just here to check out some things, see if we can find a straight reason it came after her so suddenly. We'll keep it touch," Sam explained. Ernie nodded and turned back to the bar. After Jo had talked to a few of the hunters, she walked back over to Sam and Dean.

"Let's go upstairs, see if there's anything in her stashes," she said turning up the staircase. They walked upstairs to Ellen's room where Jo paused in the doorframe. She hesitated before walking into the room, the bed was still unmade, a couple jackets and shirts thrown over the small chair. The room smelled of her mother, comforting Jo but making her want to cry at the same time. She walked over to the dresser where several charms and necklaces lay. She picked up one in particular her mother wore all the time, she must have not put it back on after cleaning it that day, noticing all the jewellery and charms looked polished. She held the small cross charm and placed it around her neck, dropping the long chain down into her shirt. She then turned to her mother's closet and pushed it open, moving all of the clothes out of the way to reveal a small desk with papers scattered everywhere and images plastered all over the wall. One in particular caught her eye, an image looking from medieval or renaissance eras, of the devil standing over a woman who held a sword. Behind her a man who looked to be an angel held a great sword towards the devil. In the next image it was the woman who held her own dagger and was plunging it into the devil. There was what looked to be an ancient form of Latin beneath the image that Jo couldn't translate off hand. She noticed something on the woman's arm in the picture. It looked to be a scar, or a birthmark that looked to be in the shape of... a knife? A cross maybe? It looked like a small dagger on her right arm. She turned away from it and looked back at the room. She quickly left and fell back against the wall outside the room. Sam was looking at the images trying to translate and Dean was looking around the room for anything else helpful.

"Dean," Sam said calling him back to the wall, "This picture, it looks to be from the gospel of Thomas."

"You mean one of the ones that didn't make the editors cut?"

"Exactly, something the church didn't want getting out. A woman defeating Lucifer. The angel is St. Michael, but the woman isn't identified here. It says that though Michael had been foretold to defeat Lucifer, in truth a woman would rise by the hand of God and defeat evil. I don't think anybody knows about this Dean," Sam explained. This could be exactly what the demons were after, this information, who the girl was.

"Where's Jo?" Dean asked looking around the room. He walked back into the hallway to see Jo sitting on the floor, head buried, arms around her legs. She looked up to Dean who she heard approach and quickly wiped her eyes.

"Sorry, I just... I just can't stay here, I need to get out," she said. She tried to stand up but felt the wave of pain again and stumbled back to the floor letting out a small whine. Dean knelt beside and looked at the way she clutched her chest.

"Wanna let me take a look? I can tell it's worse than you're willing to admit," Dean asked.

"Dean, really it's fine, I've had worse," she said looking in his eyes. He wasn't buying it one bit. She sighed in defeat and raised her shirt. Her entire rib cage was black and blue, she must have multiple cracks and breaks.

"Jesus Jo! Why didn't you say anything, go to the hospital?" Dean asked in shock looking at the bruises and the shadows her ribs cast. It was clear that at least two were not setting after they'd been broken.

"I haven't exactly had the time now have I? Between getting my mom back to the roadhouse, salting and burning her, then finding you where have I had a minute!" she yelled back. He paused for a moment, taken back by her sudden burst of emotion. It was better than none at all, he thought.

"Look, I'm not trying to push, but we really need to take you to a doctor now Jo," Dean explained. He rested his hand on her shoulder and she saw the genuine concern in his face. Dean was worried about her, and she knew she had to start taking care of herself. She started to get up and Dean helped her slowly to her feet and helped her downstairs.

"Sam! Grab what you need, we gotta go for a little while," Dean called into the room. Sam grabbed the images and Ellen's notes and shoved them in his bag.

"Where are we going now?"

"We're taking Jo to the hospital," Dean explained.

"Sam it's not that bad just a quick in and out," Jo said.

"My ass it is," Dean muttered.

"Why are you so worried about it anyway Dean?" Jo retorted.

"Because Jo! You can barely stand, your body's more black and blue that anything, and I'm not dragging your ass around the country until you can stand on your own two feet," Dean told her helping her into the car. Sam closed his door as Dean got in and they drove off to the nearest hospital, a frustrated Jo mad that this was the one time Dean was actually using his head.

...

While Jo was being looked over by the doctor, Sam and Dean waited in the hall. They went over the text and images from Ellen's room trying to figure out their exact meaning.

"Ellen Harvelle stumbled across the true prophecy of Lucifer's defeat." Castiel has instantly appeared in front of them startling the brothers.

"Subtlety Cas, seriously," Dean sighed.

"The gospel of St. Thomas was rejected by the pope of the time and locked away. They did not like the idea of a woman helping save mankind and therefore thought it false," Cas explained.

"So wait, what's with me and Dean being vessels then? Why does Dean have to say yes to Michael if this woman is supposed to kill Lucifer?" Sam asked.

"Although this woman is to kill Lucifer, he is not aware of this truth. The demons were after Ellen because they heard she may have found another way to destroy Lucifer, not knowing what it could be. The other Angels want you to say yes to Michael so Lucifer will focus on you, leaving him vulnerable to attack he does not know to be possible. I am still searching for the Father, when I find him he shall put an end to this. If the time comes that I cannot find him in time, you must accept Michael into you and allow for distraction so the true Michael's sword shall defeat Lucifer."

"So this woman is the Michael's sword?" Dean asked.

"In a sense yes," Cas explained.

"Who is she?"

"We do not know yet. It will be a woman raised by the hand of God who fell once to evil, as of yet, no one fits the description," Cas elaborated.

"Great, so we're sitting around waiting for someone to die and pull a me before this can be over," Dean huffed, running his hand though his hair. He looked up to see Jo approaching them.

"Took some sweet talking but doc let me go without observation, let's get out of here. Hey Cas," Jo said looking to the Angel.

"Joanna," he acknowledged.

"So you all good to go?" Dean asked.

"Four cracked and two more bruised ribs, but I'm a big girl, I can handle it," Jo said smiling slightly. She turned and headed for the door then realized the boys weren't following her.

"You gonna sit there all night or are we gonna find this son of a bitch?" she asked before turning again and walking off. Sam looked at Dean who was staring towards Jo as she walked away.

"Gee Dean, wanna roll your tongue back into your mouth?" Dean looked at his brother who was giving him a look of mocking.

"Shut up Sam," he said punching him in the arm.

"Jo's not a little girl anymore, she's grown up, and she's a badass hunter at that. Never seen you get so weird about a girl before Dean Winchester," Sam joked.

"I'm not weird Sam. It's just... Weird to see her so rough and tough, I mean she's Jo!"

"Well _Jo_ is gonna shoot us both if we don't hurry up and get out of here," Sam said getting up and following her out.

"I will return soon, if I hear anything new you will be the first I tell," Castiel said following them outside before disappearing again. They had gotten what they needed from the Roadhouse, now they were off to Bobby's place. Hopefully he was there in his bunker, but he hadn't made contact with anyone in almost a week which was strange considering he tried to call Sam and Dean whenever he could. Until they got to Bobby's, nothing was certain.

**SO What did you think? I have the next chapter almost ready to go it should be up in a little bit, but until then, how about some lovely reviews???? Much appreciated everyone! Until next time xoxoxo JESS**


	2. Not Today

**Here ya go, next chapter! And about the title, I know its really random, if you guys have an ideas after reading this i'd love it, i stink at titles. Enjoy!!**

**CHAPTER TWO: NOT TODAY**

There was a strange feel to Bobby's property. More than usual, all three of them could sense something was off.

"Jo, stay here," Dean told her.

"Like hell I will! I'm coming with you Dean," she retorted.

"Jo-"

"No! If you were in my shoes, would you listen to that load of shit?" she asked. She had him there, there was no way he would stay put. He knew she wouldn't either.

"No., but-"

"No buts, there's your answer."

"Fine, now let's go."

They pulled up to Bobby's place and grabbed as many guns and knives as they could carry. They shut the trunk and cautiously walked to the front door. Dean entered first, followed by Jo and Sam, to the eerie sound of utter silence. Shotguns at the ready they began to scope the house, looking for any sign of Bobby. Papers and files were scattered across the house, various scribbles and notes all over. They could tell Bobby had been hard at work trying to find answers. Jo walked down to the basement to see it in utter disarray, even for Bobby. It looked like someone had trashed the place. She saw small spots of blood scattered around the room.

"Sam? Dean?" she called. They came quickly and looked around.

"Something definitely happened here," she said looking around at the obvious signs of struggle. She cocked her shotgun and continued through the house.

"Bobby! Bobby you here?" Dean called through the house. They walked down the stairs of the basement to the door of Bobby's bunker.

"Bobby you in there? It's us Bobby! Sam and Jo and me, we're here Bobby!"

"You smell that guys?" Jo asked sniffing the air.

"Sulphur." Sam agreed. The three stood back to back, shotguns raised.

"Now that's not nice boys. Ooh! You have a lady friend with you too how charming," the voice came, the brown haired woman all knew stepping from the shadows. She smiled mischievously as walked around them to stand in front of Jo.

"Now I remember you, we had lots of fun back at your mom's little bar, you and Sam and I we had a great time!" she laughed. Jo's eyes filled with anger and disgust as she realized what demon stood before you.

"I've been waiting to see you again," she retorted, her finger beginning to press the trigger.

"I wouldn't do that, see you three are in a bit of a pickle," Meg sneered. Several more demons burst through the basement door and surrounded them.

"How'd we walk into a trap like this?" Dean shouted to his brother.

"Don't know, just shoot!" With that the three of them opened fire against the demons, rock salt buck shots toppling them over. They jumped over the demon by the door and bolted up the stairs. Meg's cry of anger rang through the house.

"Don't let them leave!" They ran through the house but were stopped as the door slammed in front of them.

"How are they doing this? Why aren't the traps working?!" Sam asked in frustration.

"We already took care of those before you got here Sammy," Meg smiled walking towards them, "Had someone come in and do a little erasing here, little counter spell there, and we're good to go!"

"What did you do with Bobby?" Dean shouted at her.

"See I don't think I should tell you, you never ask nice Dean," she giggled.

"Tell us where Bobby is or I'll put another buck shot right down your throat bitch!" Jo yelled pointing her rifle again.

"Gee, you really toughened up girly. Last time I saw you I had you pinned and out cold in no time flat. Would have finished what I was doing but Sam's voice just got too whiny and I got bored with you." Meg could tell her words were really pushing Jo's buttons. Jo pulled the trigger and sent Meg flying into the nearest wall, putting a giant hole in it.

"Run," she told the boys.

"Jo we're not leaving," Dean told her.

"Move your asses, find Bobby and finish this. I'm not done with this bitch," she said through her teeth. She shot again and knocked Meg right back down.

"I'll be right behind you just get a damn door or window open so we can get the hell out of here!" she yelled again. Dean and Sam started trying to budge the windows and doors while Jo shot at the other demons that were coming back upstairs now.

"God, where's Cas when you need him?" Dean groaned, pulling with all his strength at the window. Finally he grabbed his gun and used the butt to start cracking the glass. Meg was getting up again and Jo was running out of shots, as well as Sam who had occasionally turned and taken a shot while helping Dean.

"Alright now I'm pissed," Meg said. She raised her hand and gave a horizontal movement, throwing Jo into the door beside Dean. She cried out in pain as her already broken ribs cracked further and a few other ones pained her. She slid to the floor and tried to move but was unable to. Dean helped her to her feet, throwing her arm over his shoulders. Sam saw a tin of salt out of the corner of his eye, shot at the demons once more and grabbed the container. He quickly poured it through the door frame before it was flung away by a demon. Only being half covered, he ran forward and dropped to his knees, spreading the salt across the floor in a thinner line.

"What do you want Meg?"

"Besides your beating hearts in my hand?" she sneered.

"Why did you work so hard to get into this house?"

"Bobby had some very important information, which he sadly burned before we could get our hands on it."

"What did you do with Bobby?" Sam yelled.

"Don't you worry you're pretty little head about Bobby, if he gives us what he wants, we might not kill him _right away_," Meg laughed.

"You bitch," Jo coughed, blood dripping from her lips. Meg looked at the pitiful sight before her. The girl was a rag doll, broken and floppy. She almost was saddened that killing her would be such an easy task.

"How long are we gonna wait around here for boys? I'm not opening that door and it seems I can't get to you, so we just wait here for this whole apocalypse thing to happen without us? No wait! I forgot something," she snickered.

"I swear to God Meg I'm going to kill you," Jo coughed again, trying to stand up a little straighter. She was on both feet now and was gaining a bit of stability.

"Not if I kill you first." She cocked her head and in an instant Dean and Sam were against the wall, causing Jo to fall back.

"How are you doing this?" Sam yelled. Jo stood up as best she could as looked the demon straight in the voids that were her eyes.

A flash shot through the room and Castiel stood between Meg and Jo, a look of determination on his face.

"Hey there, Castiel is it? Nice to meet you," she mused as Cas saw Dean and Sam being controlled beyond the salt line on the floor and gave her a confused look.

"Picked up a few good tricks down in the pit eh birdie boy? Being high on the demon food chain comes with perks, especially with our Father walking free now. You wouldn't believe what I'm capable of," Meg laughed.

"You will leave this house now, or I shall send every last one of you back to hell," he commanded, but none would budge.

"Leave demons!"

"Shut your pie hole birdie boy, I'm not done talking with little Joanna yet. I thought you lost your mojo? You can't kill me if you tried," Meg mused, thoughts swimming around in her head, making her black eyes glean. She raised her hands and swiftly a great force was exerted from her palms. Darkness fell on the room and Cas was pinned to the wall.

"Cas! What's going on?!" Jo yelled, trying to hold her shotgun straight.

"I don't know Joanna, you must find a way to get the Winchesters and yourself out now!" Cas yelled to her. Jo looked around for an answer. She tried to budge the window again but was pulled back by Meg's powers. She flew into Meg's grip, the shotgun dropping and her throat in Meg's crushing grip.

"Doesn't this look familiar... Oh right! You look just like your mother... She was such a whiny bitch when I killed her!" she laughed out loud. Jo's eyes grew wide and a white hot fury engulfed her. She clawed at Meg's hand with one hand and discreetly reached to her back pocket with the other as Meg pulled a knife from her jacket. Her black eyes shone with sick delight as she twirled the knife in her fingers.

"Funny how history has a way of repeating itself?" she mused as she dragged the edge of the blade teasingly down the side of Jo's face. She took the knife and drove it hard into Jo's stomach. Jo gasped in surprise, her eyes going wide and blood spurting onto Meg's face.

"Jo!" Sam and Dean yelled, struggling against Meg's hold.

"...Not always...bitch..." Jo croaked, pulling the knife from her own pocket and plunging the blade into Meg's neck. An orange-red glow came from the wound and Meg's black eyes faded. Smoke and sparks flew from the wound and Meg fell to the ground, releasing Jo as she fell. Jo tried to turn over, but couldn't find the strength and collapsed onto her stomach beside the now empty body that held Meg. Dean, Sam and Castiel were all released from the wall. Dean touched his jacket pocket and realized Jo had taken the knife out of his pocket, likely when he picked her up. His stomach churned realizing she knew that this was going to happen. Seeing that Jo had just killed Meg, the remaining demons quickly fled in fear of Castiel's restored power.

"Jo!" Dean yelled. He ran to her broken body and pulled her up into his arms off the floor. She was cold and shaking, blood soaking her shirt and now dripping from the corner of her mouth.

"Jo! C'mon Jo stay awake," Dean said wiping the blood from her chin and cheeks.

"Dean - Thanks for the knife..." she coughed, her hand over the hole in her abdomen. Dean placed his over her own, keeping a more steady pressure than she was able to.

"You're a reckless one you know that Jo? C'mon steady breaths. Sam! Go find something to help," he called, Sam running to the kitchen so find any first aid equipment.

"Band-aids and whiskey - aren't gonna fix this Dean..." She couldn't feel her legs now and her torso felt like it was being slowly crushed and her ribs pressed down onto her already weak lungs. She coughed again, choking on the blood that rose in her throat.

"Hey! Stop that right now or I'll have to call you Joanna Beth," he tried to joke as she continued to bleed steadily into his hand. He lifted her gently so she was more upwardly angled to breathe. She gasped from the pain but was happy to be held. His hands were warm with her blood in contrast to her skin as he put pressure on her wound. Reaching up with her hand she clutched his jacket arm in her fingers. He stroked her hair with the hand that held her up while still trying to control her blood loss. Sam quickly came back with towels and held them to Jo's stomach in place of Dean's hand. He held is now free hand over hers that still held tightly to his jacket.

"Dean you know this – isn't – gonna end well," she told him, looking into his eyes with a look of understanding. She could feel herself start to slip and knew she wasn't alright.

"Jo you're not dying, not today. Please Jo, don't," Dean begged her. This shouldn't be happening, he thought. All she did was help, she saved them.

"Dean - we all knew that we - all weren't gonna make – it through this mess," she told him trying not to cough again. His eyes filled with burning tears he tried not to shed, he had to try and be strong. He looked up to his brother who gave him a deeply saddened look. He could tell what his brother was trying to say to him but he refused to listen.

"Don't Jo, don't say that. You're gonna be fine," he told her. He took the hand that held hers and held her neck and cheek steady as she couldn't hold it up anymore. He kissed her forehead and told her, "Know why? 'Cause you're strong, and you're stubborn as an ass, just like your mom."

"Lousy timing - but I love – wish we could've..." another cough wracked her body and cut off her words, blood speckling her lips in place of saliva. He rubbed it away with his thumb and rested his forehead against hers and closed his eyes, "You're gonna be fine Jo, you can't die."

"...yes I can." Dean pulled his head back and saw Jo's eyes slowly close as they shed a tear. He shook his head and wiped the tear away as her grip on him slackened.

"De..." His name hung on her last breath as she left them.

"Jo. Jo!" He stroked her hair and cheek, hoping for a response, and then pulled her close to him. He laid a kiss on her lips and rested his cheek on her forehead. Sam loewred his head, taking his hand off the wound sighing. Jo was gone.

...

"I'm sorry Dean that I was unable to help Joanna, but she died destroying a powerful demon that would have continued to take countless lives," Castiel said standing beside Dean, who was still holding Jo. Sam knelt down beside him.

"I don't care why she died," he said quietly through his teeth, "It shouldn't have been her, not like this." Sam didn't know what to say to his brother. All he could do was look at Jo's pale face, now calm, void of pain, suffering or anger. Just peace. Dean set her down gently, pushing aside the hair that clung to her face, caked in blood. She was so broken, bloodied, lifeless. Standing, he rubbed the bridge of his nose and tried to gain a sense of control, walking outside. He kept walking until he got to the Impala and put his elbows on the roof. He looked at his red hands and sleeves, his jacket, it was everywhere. He put his head in his hands and let all of it out, sinking down the side of the car. Mom, Dad, Ellen, and now Jo, it tormented him that everyone he cared about kept dying on him. Jo was trying to protect him, and she died because of him. He couldn't believe she'd done that, how incredibly strong and selfless she had been. He was heartbroken, but he felt almost angry towards her, he was angry she saved them. Why should he keep being saved and she be left to pay the price? Before she'd just been the little girl whose parents were hunters. Now she was the girl who could shoot the wings off a fly, beat any man at poker, hustle a mean game of pool, and kick demon ass. Hell, she was everything Dean could ever want in a girl. She was the only woman who ever could come close to understanding him, and put up with his shit. Now she was gone. Her last words had been that she loved him, and now she was gone. He slammed his fist on top of the car and turned to face the house. Sam was walking towards him from the house, a solemn look across his face.

"What do you want to do?" Sam asked.

"I don't know Sammy, I just can't right now. She didn't deserve that, she shouldn't be dead."

"I know she shouldn't. None of this should ever have to happen, but we can't stop now, we have to keep at this. You know she would be pissed if we stood around here like this for long. Cas left to see if he could find anything more out," Sam said quietly. Dean quietly nodded and wiped the tears from his face he'd been hiding. They sat in silence for almost an hour on the cold ground, leaning against the car. Neither of them said a word, neither knew what to say. Once the sun began to set Sam spoke up.

"We should go in there and get her, we can't just leave her there. Give her proper respect," Sam said. Dean nodded and the both stood up. Before they could take another step towards the house a powerful force of energy blew from the house like a hurricane, sending both of them to the ground. They looked at each other and ran for the house.

**I know I know I'm evil :-P if you leave your hateful or nice reviews you'll get another chapter :P til next time****! Xoxoxo JESS**


	3. Saved

**CHAPTER THREE: SAVED **

**WARNING: M RATED CHAPTER! **

She was in a large, white room. She wasn't sure how she'd gotten there or where Dean and Sam were. Dean. The last thing she could remember was looking up at Dean. He looked so sad, why had he been sad? Where did he go?

"Joanna." She quickly turned around to see a man in a light grey suit standing casually in front of her.

"Who are you?"

"My name is Phanue, I am an archangel of the Lord. Joanna you are very special. You have been given the opportunity for a second chance at life. You are going to defeat Lucifer Joanna, end the apocalypse," the man explained.

"And how exactly am I supposed to do that?" she asked sceptically.

"With the help of Dean and Sam Winchester, you can defeat Lucifer. Though some of my brothers do not want to save the human race, I do, and I've been sent by God to explain this to you. If you accept this task your life will be restored, or you can say no and join us in Heaven," he said.

"Wait... I _died_? What the hell is going on!"

"There is no need for panic. Yes, you were killed while destroying the demon Meg. You can refuse if you wish, you will not be judged. However, by accepting this responsibility you can return to your life and must help Dean and Sam Winchester and end the apocalypse. You are their secret weapon Joanna. You must know that whatever happens after this decision, you will not be given another chance such as this. If you go back to help them, you or the Winchesters will not be saved again. We can only do so much to help you," Jo turned away and processed what she was being told. Was this even real?

"What have you decided Joanna?" She didn't even have to think about it for a second.

"Put me back."

...

They looked at each other and ran for the house. The door had been blown shut and was jammed.

"Count of three. One. Two. Three!" They both kicked the door nearly breaking it off its hinges. Jo was still lying on the floor and his heart sank. Just as quickly, it nearly skipped as he thought he saw the impossible, until he saw it again. Jo was moving. He dropped to her side and lifted her so she was sitting upright.

"Jo?" he called, holding her chin up and opening her airway. With a loud gasp Jo's eyes opened wide and she flew straight upwards, Dean's arm catching her from going forwards anymore. As she took more air into her burning lungs, she had an iron grip on his arm. As she looked around the room she realized her meeting with the man had not been just been a dream. Looking at her clothes and Dean's, they were both completely soaked in her blood. She pulled the ragged shreds of what was left of her shirt past her stomach. The blood she'd lost still covered her, but there were no cuts, wounds, bruises, anything. It was as if it never happened. There were still marks from past fights she'd had but none that appeared new to her. She ran her hands over her skin and looked to Dean whose expression was a mix of confusion, shock and happiness.

"How?" was the only word that Dean managed to get out. She looked to Sam who had the same bewildered expression.

"...Phan... I can't frigging remember. It was an Angel I know that, he said... what exactly happened to me?" she asked aloud, recollecting the memories of her 'death'.

"You died Jo. Meg killed you," Sam told her, helping Dean get her to her feet.

"Not that I'm complaining, but why did they send you back? It's the first not stupid thing they've done in a while," Dean asked.

"He said..." she tried to wrack her brain, these recent events had her rattled, "I had to come back to help you," Jo explained. The three of them all reached the same conclusion simultaneously and Jo looked to her arm. The only distinct mark that remained from her battle with Meg was a line about the width of her pinkie a little darker than her skin tone, with a smaller line crossing through the lower end of it, place right below the inside of her elbow.

"No, no no. There is no way that-" Jo began, staring at the shape of the mark.

"That's what it's looking like Jo," Sam said.

"Okay we'll deal with this last, first thing is we need to get out of here," Dean said.

"We need to find a place to stay and figure out our next move, we can't just go in half assed," Jo agreed.

"I say stock up on everything we can that'll help us and hightail it to the next town over. Cas can maybe track down Bobby if he's still alive and kill every last bastard we can get our hands on," Sam said. Jo looked over to Dean and shrugged.

"It's the best plan we got, let's do it." They went back into the house and grabbed every charm and useful book and millilitre of holy water they could fit into the impala and drove off to the next motel they could find.

......

They rented a room under one of Jo's fake credit cards and set up the usual precautions. It wasn't the dingiest place they'd even been in, but it was no Four Season. Jo hopped into the shower right away and felt her tense muscles instantly relax as the hot water washed away the blood and sweat that clung to her hair and skin. She was still struggling in her brain with the concept of having being dead, then being raised from the dead to help Dean and Sam save the world. She was glad to be alive, but the road ahead would not be an easy one. Hell, they were taking off to kill the _devil_! She knew she had done the right thing, coming back, but she worried that she would end up dead again or watch Sam or Dean die in the days to come. She tried to push those thoughts and fears aside, but she found it harder than usual. Since her mother died and she sought the brothers out her feelings for Dean seemed to become more real, more powerful. This was no school crush; she actually loved Dean Winchester, the hunter known for his player status and reputation of being quite the jerk on occasion. Sometimes she wished she didn't but to the same note what would she have without those feelings now? She had nothing left in the world worth fighting for now except the minute possibility of a future with Dean, without the devil. She had an idea of where he stood but it didn't make any difference now. The world has become a dangerous, evil place more and more every day and the only thing that kept her head straight was helping them. She didn't know what would happen, but she knew this was their last chance. She had to make the most of what she had and decided that would have to be enough.

Turning off the rusting faucets, she stepped out of the small shower and dried of quickly, throwing a pair of clean jeans and a t shirt on and handing the bathroom over to Sam, then Dean. She sat on the edge of the bed and ran the towel once more over her hair before tossing it over the chair to her left. Dean was sitting at the small table looking over weather and agricultural reports, looking for any new demonic or apocalyptic omens, and Sam had gone out to get food. Dean's brow was furrowed with a deep concentration and the grime and soot on his face cast a shadow over his eyes. She wasn't sure if she should say anything, disrupt his concentration. She stayed silent and opened her bag, finding her knife which she strapped back onto her leg.

"There's something here, just need to find it, don't get too comfy here," he said to her, not looking up from the page. She nodded silently and stood up, sitting down beside him at the table. She looked at the scattered papers and tried to find something helpful among the information. They were silent for a minute before Dean surprisingly spoke up.

"Look about today... What you did... You were reckless and obviously not thinking straight," he started to say.

"I saved your asses is what I did Dean, you gonna argue that point?" she asked firmly.

"Look Jo, you don't-"

"Don't what Dean? Understand? I shouldn't get in the middle? Dean I knew exactly what I was doing and what could happen. You would have done the exact same thing," she kept going, her voice rising.

"Yes, but that doesn't mean you should!"

"Are you really giving me the 'It's okay for me to be dumb but not you'? Do you remember what I told you? As I was dying? 'Cause I do, and I meant it! Why can't I protect the people I love Dean?"

"Because Jo! I watched you _die _in my arms today!" he fell silent before he continued, Jo's face becoming less angry and more saddened. She had no idea this was affecting him so much.

"Jo, you _died _today, do you have any clue what I... You and Sam are all I have left, and you died trying to save us. I don't care if it's selfish but I can't take losing anyone else. You shouldn't have tried to saved me. I can't..."

"Dean?" Jo asked quietly. He looked up at her and saw the same expression in her eyes as he had only hours before on the floor of Bobby's house, sincerity and concern. She took his hand in both of hers and sighed, "What do you think I would've done if it had been you on that floor? Dean, you and Sam all I have left, I couldn't let you do what I did, I can't watch you die. It had to be one of us today and I took that decision into my own hands knowing the consequences Dean." There was a moment of pause as they looked at each other, processing what the other had said.

Jo squeezed her hand around Dean's tighter and he did what he had wanted to since she came back.

He draped his hand over her cheek, his fingers weaving into her hair and pulled her to him. She held onto the shoulder of his as she kissed him back with more intensity, her second hand laid on the groove between his other shoulder and neck. Grabbing her waist he pulled her onto his lap with a gentle force, her arms wrapping around his neck in a more than happy response. They battled for dominance over the other, both hungry for more, finally experiencing what they had wanted for so long. They needed each other then, and for once nothing else plagued their minds but the touch of each other. Dean stood up lifting her with him and walked over to the bed, the two of them falling back into its comfort. Dean looked at her for a moment, silently asking her if this was what she wanted. She understood and simply pulled his lips back onto hers. Their hands roamed each other with equal greed as their lips and tongues continued to dance together. Jo began to take his jacket off, then his shirt, as he quickly pulled her shirt up and over her head, only breaking their kiss for that split second. He heard a quiet whimper escape her lips as he slipped her jean off and tossed them to the floor. He trailed his lips down her jaw to her neck, back up to her ear. He felt her nails grip his skin as he gently kissed and nibbled her earlobe, her hands sliding up and down his arms.

"Jo..." he whispered in a single worded plea. She could feel him against her leg, becoming harder as they continued. She made quick work of his belt and jeans. In that moment she pulled him down and was then over him, pulling him back up to her lips and adjusting so he was sitting up against the headboard.

His hands held her onto her hips firmly and her hands were on his neck. Tugging at his shorts she grabbed him and his kisses became hungrier. He moaned her name into her mouth and his hands moved back up to her breasts, gently caressing them in his palm. They both were breathing heavily now, only occasional moans and gasps being heard. Dean couldn't hold on any longer and in a moment he had pushed her back so he was again over, then with a first thrust was inside her. Her breath caught in her throat and her fingers dug into his back as she felt him fill her and they moved together. The feeling of him was almost enough to send her off the edge, her eyes closing as her back arched into him. Her head fell back in another deep breath and he savoured the soft skin of her neck, the smell of her skin. As her back arched again he placed his hand beneath her and held her up to him, keeping her close and he continued to move back and forth inside her.

"Oh God Dean..." was all she could manage, no man had ever made her feel this good when she was with someone. He replied with only more powerful thrusts and deeper kisses.

They continued together, mouths and hands ravaging in dire need of each other as they moved in unison. At first they were slow, savouring each moment and movement and then it became quicker, their passion growing hotter. When he came back up to her lips from her collarbone she took his face in both her hands and moaned against his lips. They held onto each other as tight as they could, his hands pulling her up so he was sitting up bringing her to stay on his lap, as if letting go would cause them to fall into the abyss. Dean continued leaving kisses along Jo's neck and shoulders as she moaned into his ear, sometimes his name, sometimes just sounds of pure bliss. His one hand was on her buttock, moving her over him, the other in his long, sweet smelling hair. She rocked into him with his guidance as she smelled the unique scent of his skin that sent her wild.

Finally they both gasped in satisfaction and collapsed into each other as they tipped over the edge of ecstasy. Dean dropped back onto the bed beside her and gathered her into his arms, both still gasping for air, thankful in the silence for their second chance.

......

Sam walked into the motel room and almost dropped his groceries. In front of him were Dean and Jo. Naked, from what the clothes he could see carelessly tossed, only draped with the small blanket on the bed. He watched only for a moment as Jo stirred in her sleep from the dream he could tell she was having. Still sleeping, Dean had moved his arm over her and pulled closer to her, and her expression became calm and content, nuzzling into his chest.

He had a suspicion that this would eventually happen down the line, but Dean has never been a patient man. There was no reason to be patient in a time like this. As much as he didn't want to think about it, no one knew how much longer they'd live through this. Jo herself was a miracle, and no one can ever count on one miracle occurring. They should try to enjoy what they can, there's not much else to be happy about. Sam put the groceries in the corner and set the coffees he had brought back on the table. He proceeded to pull out his laptop and see if he could figure out where Bobby could be, his back to the two of them. Even in the one room motel suite, he tried to give them their privacy.

He laughed at the thought in his head as he looked back to his work: Dean Winchester had fallen for Joanna Beth Harvelle. He was sure Ellen was watching them with a wide variety of emotions, but happy that her daughter was happy in this chaotic world.

......

Jo woke from the most comfortable sleep she'd had in days to the steady rhythm of Dean's breathing. She was still against his chest in his arms as he continued to sleep. She closed her eyes again not wanting to get up, only to stay right where she was. Dean started to wake up and she looked up at him. His eyes opened and looked down to her and smiled which became a yawn.

"Hey," he said quietly.

"Hey," she yawned back.

"You two slept well." Shit! Sam! Jo and Dean both looked to Sam who was sitting with his back to them, working on his laptop, neither of them ever bothering to think he had to come back at some point. At least he came back while they were asleep.

"Uh... Hey Sam," Jo said nervously, pulling the blanket all the way up to her chin.

"It's fine guys. I'll stay turned if you want to grab your clothes," he said, clearly stifling a laugh. Jo and Dean gave each other a look of slight embarrassment and she was the first to gather her clothes. When the two of them were fully clothed they sat down with Sam and went over recent demonic and apocalyptic activity. From the looks of it the devil had headed south.

"Look Sam," Jo started to explain.

"You don't need to say anything, either of you. I understand guys, really. It's not like I didn't know this was in the cards," he said, only to get a cocked eyebrow from his brother.

"Okay then... So did you find anything new?" Dean asked his brother.

"From the signs I can see it looks like he's circling Atlanta right now. Apocalyptic omens, electrical storms, it's all there. I think that's our best bet."

"Okay, so what's the plan, how are we handling this? How exactly do we plan on killing the devil, do you think the colt will actually work?" Jo asked.

"It's worth a shot, but we need to have a backup plan, if we could find Bobby he could help us. He's likely wherever the devil's entourage is going if they're still trying to get information out of him. Damn it I wish he was here," Dean said rubbing his temple.

"We'll just have to figure things out without him. We'll head to Georgia, set up a motel room, then figure out where the devil is hiding and kick his ass into oblivion," Jo said. Sam and Dean both looked at her with a look of confusion and admiration.

"What? It's the only plan that seems to fit into reality and we can't wait around forever. Sooner or later he's gonna release the rest of the horsemen, most likely Death and Famine before the white horsemen. We can't let him do that, so let's get moving." Dean and Sam didn't argue with her, packing their bags and heading off, _The Devil Went Down To Georgia_ ironically playing on the radio when they got into the impala. Dean looked to Sam and his brother returned a crooked nervous smile.

"'Kay that's just creepy."

.....

**What do you think? Reviews are very much appreciated, they don't take long to write!! Until next time... xoxoxo JESS**


	4. Prepare

**Sorry it took a little while to get this chapter up but I kept going over it seeing what would work. Thanks for the reviews so far, but there's only 6 :-( Reviews make me happy which makes me a more productive writer! Even if it's just 'nice story' or 'hate it' or 'love it' I enjoy hearing from my readers :) Here you go**

**CHAPTER FOUR: PREPARE **

It was a 20 hour drive from Duluth to Atlanta, and they were about three quarters of the way there. It was Sam's turn to drive and Dean was sitting silently in the passenger seat, staring out the windshield. Jo was asleep in the back with headphones in her ears and a sheathed knife in her hand. Something about that just put a smile on Dean's face as he looked back to check if she was still asleep.

"So... You gonna give me a heads up in Atlanta if you and Jo..." Sam said slyly.

"Shut it Sam. She's... I don't know what I'm gonna do Sammy."

"What do you mean? If she becomes like all the others I swear-"

"No Sammy, it's not like that.. Jo... Her and I... we have... How am I gonna be able to do this with her here? I can't even think straight right now and I need my head in the game."

"You love her."

"What?"

"Dean, are you _that_ dumb? Obviously you find her attractive, she can probably wield a knife better than you and she's tough as nails. Not to be cliché but you two are practically made for each other," Sam explained.

"You're right, that is a huge cliché. You really gotta stop watching chick flicks on the pay per view in the hotels," Dean sighed.

"Tell me I'm wrong."

"...So I do. I love her. Now what the hell are we supposed to do? We're on our way to face down the devil. According to Cas and Ellen's random research she's supposed to be the one to actually do the deed, and chances are one or both of us is gonna end up salted and burned by the end of the month," Dean said.

"You can't think about that Dean, it'll drive you crazy."

"What am I supposed to think about then?"

"Focus on the job. Think of how we're gonna do this, not what could happen after. Think about how you're happy with Jo, fight for it with everything you got. She'll do the same. We gotta bring everything to the table or this isn't gonna work Dean," Sam explained. Dean looked at his brother and realized just how much he had grown up. Well, he knows he's grown up a lot, but more and more he found himself turning to his younger brother for advice. Sam slowed the impala and pulled into the small gas station of the town they were passing through. Dean turned to Jo and nudged her shoulder gently. Her eyes blinked several times before remaining open and the grip on her knife tightened only a little.

"We're stopping for gas. Wanna stretch your legs?" he asked her.

"Sure," she mumbled, sitting up and getting out of the car, "I'm gonna go to the bathroom, be right back," she said walking into the small station and asking for the bathroom key. Sam filled up the tank while Dean grabbed a couple bags of chips and a cup of coffee. The three of them met back up at the impala and switched their rotation. It was Dean's turn to drive, and Jo offered Sam the length of the back seat so he could get some sleep. Within ten minutes they were back on the road.

Jo was now looking over what research Sam had done on Atlanta, trying to find a reason the devil would pick that specific location. She ran her hands through her hair, pushing it back as she let out a sigh of frustration.

"I don't get it Dean. The activity is there but I don't get why he picked Atlanta," she wondered aloud.

"Maybe he likes the Charlie Daniels Band," Dean suggested, getting a questioning look from Jo.

"What? _The Devil Went Down To Georgia?_ I'm sorry I couldn't resist," he gave her his best charming smile.

"Nice to see you haven't lost your sense of humour over the months," she tried to be sarcastic, but let a small smile through when he wasn't looking. It was a bad joke, but a laugh these days was worth a million.

"Georgia just seems like a random target, Atlanta's the most populated town in the state, he's planning something big I think. Maybe his first big takeover?"

"I hope not. If Cas could just hurry the hell up and find God this wouldn't be an issue, we wouldn't have to even get in the middle of this."

"Well, the likelihood of Cas finding God is...? We have to try and be realistic and set a plan of attack. There's gonna be way more demons than Duluth that's a given. When we get set up I'll start making more salt shells, see if I can track down some iron bullets," she told him, folding the papers hack into the manila envelope.

"You're all on top of this huh?" he asked.

"Yeah, well someone has to be," she smiled slyly. Dean looked back at Sam who was already asleep.

"Sam conks out almost as fast as you do," he commented.

"Something about this car is just relaxing I guess. Best sleep I've gotten in a while has been the past couple days," she added. The two of them smiled remembering the previous day's events. Jo looked back out the window and watched the dark scenery of the highway fly by.

"Look, while Sam's asleep... I wanted to talk to you about..."

"Dean, I understand. If you wanna just get past it, I'll forget about it," she sighed, not taking her eyes off the window.

"No! No I... I definitely don't want to forget about this, I just don't want either of us to get... distracted out there. I want this to work,"

"But..." she said anticipating there was more to come.

"But I want you to promise me something right now Jo," he said taking her hand keeping the other on the steering wheel.

"Dean, I can tell right now this isn't something I'll like," she started with a tone of concern.

"I'm serious Jo. I want you to promise me that if anything happens... If it goes south out there you run. You get the hell out of there and find someplace safe, regroup with Sam and figure out your next move," he said, his voice lower than normal, "You do exactly what you would do as if you didn't know me or care."

"Even if I didn't know..." she stopped when she caught the look on Dean's face. This was really important to him.

"...Okay. I promise. But you have to promise me too."

"Jo-"

"Dean Winchester don't you dare. If I have to agree to this you damn well will too! Promise me. Promise if something bad happens, you and Sam will get out, and you won't turn back. We're better together but if one of us has to go down, no one else is getting caught in the middle," she told him, her eyes boring into him as he tried to keep his focus on the road. He sighed in defeat and turned to her.

"I promise, but for the record I'm not happy about it," he told her, turning back to focus on the road.

"Good," she said facing back towards the windshield.

"And just so you know, last night, I had – it was great," Dean quickly send trying to change the subject to a lighter note.

"It really was great," Jo said. He could see in the dark car that she was blushing at his comment. He removed his hand from hers and stroked her hair before returning it to the steering wheel. He popped a tape into the player and tapped his fingers in time to the rhythm of _Enter Sandman._ They continued on to Atlanta in a comfortable silence, doing their best not to think about the promises they had made or the tasks ahead.

......

When they pulled into the Royale Motel just outside of Atlanta it was nearly 4 in the morning and everyone was exhausted. They laid down their salt lines, wards and charms, and collapsed into bed. Dean, feeling a bit awkward with only two beds, flopped down onto the couch but was approached by his brother.

"Dean, you don't have to sleep on the couch. It's not like you're gonna do anything with Jo while I'm in here. Let me rephrase that, _Jo _won't let you do anything while I'm in the room. I'm pretty sure she wants you to, and I don't care if you do." Dean looked over to Jo who was crawling into the creaky motel bed.

"Well, sounds good to me," he said jumping up and over the couch to the side of Jo's bed, "Room for one more?" he asked with his signature grin.

"Get in. You know you're not getting any tonight don't you?" she asked.

"I know Jo, you've created a changed man," he swore, sliding into bed beside her.

"Dean Winchester, a gentleman?" Jo said her eyes wide and mouth open in mocking.

"Hey, I could go back to the couch and you lose your pillow," he said yanking the pillow from her and placing it beneath his head.

"Damn, I guess I was just dreaming there for a minute. I think you're still sore about me beating you at poker the other night," she said through a yawn.

"Hey that was luck," he defended.

"Whatever helps you sleep cowboy," she yawned. She fit herself across him and closed her eyes, the scent of leather engrained in his skin. Coupled with the warmth of his body the sensation he gave her soothed her gently to sleep. She fell asleep with a smile on her face.

He lay awake beneath Jo's hold, her even breathing letting him know she was asleep. He sighed and stared at the ceiling unable to sleep, thoughts running through his head at a mile a minute. He had been having dreams again of the things he had seen in the future, though he still wondered how much of it was real. He would never trust Zachariah but by the way things were going it seemed to become a more likely reality every passing day. He couldn't take the thought of Sam becoming Lucifer's puppet, he wouldn't have it. He shuddered at the thought of what had happened when he was possessed by Meg, the possibilities of Lucifer's evil stretch so much farther. He knew Lucifer would try to use him and Jo to convince Sam to let him in. He rubbed his eyes trying to push the images from his mind. He heard a sigh hang on Jo's exhale and closed his eyes and tried to follow her into sleep.

......

"Dean. You must wake up." Dean was stirred from his sleep and looked across the room to see Cas standing in the middle of the room.

"What do ya got Cas?" he yawned, gently slipping out from under Jo. He stood up and pulled on his shirt looking at the Angel who remained still.

"I have made contact with several Angels who have begun to question Zachariah's motives. They have heard from within Zachariah's inner circle that they are also looking for our Father, and they may be close to locating Him," he explained.

"So you might actually find _God_? Honestly what's the likelihood right now 'cause we need options Cas," Dean told him.

"I have faith that it will not be long. I call feel myself getting closer every day."

"Well what are we supposed to do until then, or in the case this plan doesn't pan out?"

"For now I recommend you stay in this area, arm yourself and prepare for the possibility of a battle. If I cannot find my Father in time you must fight."

"In time? In time for what?" Dean asked, turning to see Sam getting out of bed and joining the two of them.

"Two weeks from now marks 66 days that Lucifer escaped from hell, which is when he will be able to unleash the next horsemen into the world. He plans on unleashing Death that day and we cannot allow that to happen," Cas explained to the two of them.

"Wait, the Angel of Death? Like the mother of all reapers?"Sam asked now fully awake.

"Yes Sam. We must make sure this doesn't happen."

"What about Bobby? We need to track him down and get him back first," Dean said looking to Cas who was now looking down.

"There was another reason I came to speak with you," Cas started, looking up and catching Jo out of the corner of his eye, slowly waking up.

"You know something," Dean said, suspicious eyes starting the Angel down. Jo walked over and stood between Sam and Dean.

"While trying to learn of Lucifer's motives, I found Robert. I'm sorry but he did not survive the torture Meg and the other demons inflicted upon him. He would not give up any information on you or on the knowledge of Joanna's role. I am very sorry."

Jo's breath caught in her throat and Sam and Dean both grew long faces. Dean turned from Cas and walked out the front door.

"Dean!" Jo called to him, but was stopped by Sam.

"Give him a few minutes, and then go. He needs a second," he told her. Jo nodded and turn back to Cas.

"So it's true then? My whole coming back is part of that prophecy thing?" she asked, trying to push her emotions to the side for a moment.

"Yes Joanna, your mark and the circumstances of your death and return to earth have confirmed it," Cas replied softly.

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"That is yet to be discovered. I apologize for the grave news but I must return to my search. Please heed my advice and prepare yourselves, we must not lose focus. I will return as soon as I can." Jo and Sam blinked once and Cas was already gone. She ran her hands over her untamed hair and pushed it over her shoulders. She embraced Sam in a hug as she continued to hold in the tears, and he hugged her back. They stood, two friends consoling each other, for a silent minute before Sam pulled back to look at her.

"Thanks. We do this for him now. Bobby and your mom," he told her.

"And we'll win," she replied. She smiled at him as she let go and walked out the front door to find Dean. Sam sat down on the bed and put his head in his hands.

She found him sitting on the curb beside the Impala, elbows on his knees and slouched over staring at the ground. She walked slowly over to him and sat down beside him without saying a word. They sat in a strange silence for several minutes before Dean spoke.

"Surprised you're not trying to get me to talk," he said still staring at the ground.

"I know it wouldn't work, I can't force you to talk about it. If Sam can't, I can't. But I can sit here beside you and let you deal your way while I deal in mine." He looked up at her and could see her brown eyes shining with unshed tears. Bobby was close to Jo and Ellen too, he never really thought about it before now. He placed an arm around her and she leaned against his shoulder.

"I just wish I could've done something," she said her voice cracking. She rubbed at her eyes so the tears wouldn't come but she knew they would have to fall eventually.

"Me too. Sometimes you just feel so useless, so helpless you know?" he said.

"He was strong for all of us. Even when he was down he was on me and my mom about being careful and not being dumb about my hunts. I'm pretty sure mom had a bit of a thing for him too," she added lightly. Dean smiled slightly and looked down to Jo. She was being strong and in control right now because he knew she didn't want him out here being angry at himself. Bobby was just as important to her as he was to him, and they both looked up to him. He knew Bobby would call them idjits for sitting around like this so he stood up. She looked up to him and stood.

"Let's make some shells," he told her. She smiled as he headed back towards their room and followed him. Now it was time to get down to business.

......

**So what did you think? Chapter five should be up later tonight (it's 10:20pm EST where I am so you know), I wanted to cut this chapter off here before it got too too long. Reviews again please and thank you! :-) Till next time, xoxoxo JESS**


	5. Responsibility

**Sorry sorry sorry sorry I couldn't get this up earlier but it was by far THE hardest chapter to write so far, it had to be just right to work for the rest of the story to come. Hope you're enjoying it so far, reviews are always appreciated :-). Exams approach (ugh) so I'm trying to get as much as this up now as possible, I can say for sure there won't be updates between December 5 and 12 unfortunately but after that I should be fine. Then I'll be on Christmas holidays and relaxation time woot!!! Until then I promise to do my best to give you more of this story. Enjoy!**

**CHAPTER FIVE: RESPONSIBILITY**

Jo, Sam and Dean sat around the table in their motel room making rock salt shotgun shells and sharpening their knives. They were running low empty shells and salt so Dean offered to run out and get more at the hardware store Sam had found online about 20 minutes from the motel.

"Wanna pick us up some coffee on the way back?" Sam asked.

"Yeah, be back in a bit." Sam and Jo continued to assemble shells in Dean's absence. Sam set down the shell he had just packed and looked at Jo.

"You know, since you've been around he's not so... He's much easier to be around, thank you," Sam said.

"I see it a little. He's still the pain in the ass I know him to be, but he's definitely more positive."

"You know why, don't you?" She gave him a quizzical look.

"For the first time in a long time he has something to fight for. Something real, something to live for. We need to be careful Jo, we're all he has left now and we both know what's going to happen to him if something happens to one of us."

"I know Sam, I'm really worried for all of us right now. Things are getting really bad really fast," she said to him getting up to go to the washroom. She closed the door behind her and washed her hands, getting the build up of salt and grime from beneath her nails. She looked into the mirror and let herself break in her solitude. She let the tears of sadness and anger flow freely as she quietly sobbed so Sam couldn't hear her. Ash, Mom, now Bobby. Everyone was leaving one by one, who would be next? The thought terrified her. She was angrier than anything for Bobby's death; she couldn't wait to meet Lucifer so she could rip him apart personally. She reached for the towel to dry her eyes and was suddenly hit by a blinding pain in her head. She dropped the towel and gripped her head in her hands closing her eyes tight. What the hell? Before she could open her eyes another wave hit her. She gasped and fell back into the wall, causing a loud thud. She slid down the wall onto the floor, still gripping her head as it felt like someone was inflating a balloon in her brain that was ready to pop.

"Jo? You okay?" Sam called from outside the door.

"It's fine Sa – AH!" she tried to say but the feeling in her head was agonizing. White flashed before her eyes then images, a hill, a face, a hand. What was going on? The pain showed no signs of letting up. She felt Sam's hands on her arms as he burst into the bathroom to find her on the floor. She couldn't say anything in response as hard as she tried. She felt herself fall forward into Sam and then it was over.

......

As suddenly as the pain came, it dissipated and Jo opened her eyes, only to see she wasn't in the motel. There was nothing but light around here, all shades and hues, merged all together into one great source.

"Joanna," a voice called to her. She looked around but saw no one. This is one step too far over the crazy line, she thought.

"Where am I and who are you?" she called to the voice, unsure of what response she would receive.

"Child, I am many things; Yahweh, Ala, Father. God." Her heart skipped a beat and her eyes went wide and she processed the words. There was no way this was real.

"What do you want me to say to that? Really?! One second I'm in the bathroom, and then I'm writhing in pain, now I'm talking to _God_," she huffed.

"I understand child. I apologize for the pain I have caused you, but communication with my children is not always an easy task. You have heard of what has happened to humans who hear an Angel or see them. You can only imagine how much more intense the reaction is with me. The task of hearing my voice in an unconscious state, I must alter it even now so you can understand me." She thought long and hard about what she was being told. Seems legitimate, she thought, she was raised from the dead, can she really be sceptical?

"So what do you want of me? Why did you bring me back?" Joanna asked.

"I have something very important to ask of you. You do not have to answer me right away, for this decision is not to be taken lightly," God, or so he claimed, said, "You are to be my representation on earth. It is you who must kill Lucifer. Dean Winchester is destined to be Michael's vessel, but Dean is reluctant to accept. If Michael and Lucifer must fight, I fear a large part of your world will be lost, and he sees that. I'm giving you the ability to defeat Lucifer without my presence, before Sam Winchester becomes his permanent vessel."

"How exactly is this going to work?"

"On the 66th day since his release, Lucifer is planning to release another horseman of the apocalypse, as you've come to call them. On this day he will be at his most vulnerable. Before he finishes the ritual you must approach him and destroy his vessel with an Angel's knife wet with the willing blood of a righteous warrior."

"How am I supposed to get close enough to him to do that? And who's this righteous warrior? What if Sam does become..."

"I can see the difficulty in this task but that is why I have asked _you_. You will understand in time and you will succeed Joanna." The light started to dim around her and she reached out unknowingly.

"You're not answering me. Wait! How am I supposed to do this?!"

......

He heard a noise come from the bathroom then something hit the wall.

"Jo? You okay?" he called to her turning to the bathroom. Her voice was muffled through the wall.

"It's fine Sa- AH!" She cried out before she could finish her sentence and he jumped out of his chair. He knocked on the door but received no answer. He could hear her gasping inside and opened the door; he saw her on the floor and dropped to her side.

"Jo? Jo what's wrong what's going on?" he asked her holding onto her arms keeping her straight. She didn't answer him, her eyes were still squeezed shut and her hands were on her head. He held up her head with his hand to see her face as her hands fell to her side and she fell forwards into his chest.

"Jo? Jo, c'mon wake up," he encouraged her, lifting her up into his arms. Her nose and ears were bleeding down her chin and neck as he set her down on the bed. He went to grab for the phone to call Dean when Jo's eye flew open.

"Wait! How am I supposed to do this?!" she cried out. Sam was back at her side with the phone in hand. She sat up and rubbed her temple looking to Sam, snatching the phone from his hand.

"No!"

"What?"

"Do _not _call Dean. You're going to keep this between us and not breathe a word to him. This is one less mess he needs to be in the middle of, got it?" she looked at Sam with pleading eyes. Against his better judgement he nodded. He grabbed the Kleenex box off the side table and handed it to her.

"You better wipe the blood of your face if you want to keep him in the dark," he said darkly.

"Thank you," she responded, wiping at the crimson lines on her face and neck.

"What the hell was that anyways? You at least owe me an explanation," Sam told her knowing he was in the right.

"I... I think I spoke to... God?" Sam didn't know what to say.

"That was God getting in your head? You're absolutely sure?" he asked, completely floored by her words.

"I think so Sam. It was... I can't even describe it. He was here and gone so fast. He..." she stopped as she wiped away the last of the blood, though she still had one massive headache. Hopefully God didn't want another chat anytime soon, which was quite the hardship as it is.

"He what? What did he say?" She sat up and got off the bed. Sitting back down at her unmade shells she got back to work trying to avoid the subject.

"Jo, God just doesn't say hello and drop in on anyone. This is important, what did he tell you?" he pressed. She sighed and started to tell him but heard the hum of the impala pulling up outside the room.

"I'll tell you later, I don't want Dean worrying," she told him as Dean opened the door carrying several bags and dropping them at the table.

"Coffee's in the car Sammy," he said jumping onto the bed. Sam shook his head, some things still haven't changed. He got up and went to grab the coffee, leaving Dean to still a quick grab and kiss from Jo before he sat down beside her and starting making mores shells.

"Oh, I got you something I thought you'd like," he said pulling out the box. It was a battery operated nail gun and a box of iron nails. She smiled and turned to him.

"You sure know you're way into a girl's heart Dean," she joked, setting the box down.

"Thought you'd enjoy a new toy, plus it looks to be able to do some real damage," he grinned. Sam came back inside with the coffee and doled them out when Cas popped into the room.

"Anything new?" Dean asked.

"Possibly, I-" but he stopped mid sentence and reached into his pocket. He pulled out Dean's necklace and held it in his hands. It was warm. Jo tried to look surprised when Cas looked up.

"Joanna," he called to her, causing her to look down.

"Joanna, you've spoken with Him! He was present here," Cas said amazed walking over and taking her hands, "You are extremely special."

"Jo, what's he talking about Jo?"Dean asked turning to her.

"While you were gone... I kind of had a divine experience?"She explained giving him an innocent look.

"What did He say Joanna? Do you know what He plans to do?" Cas asked her.

"Kind of... I think I know. He told me what I have to do," she said quietly. She pulled her hands from Cas' and sat back down at the table. Dean followed and sat beside her.

"And what exactly is that?" he asked, a serious tone in his voice now, urging a response.

"Look, this isn't the time to talk about this,"

"No this is the perfect time to talk about this Jo. Apparently you just spoke to _God _while I was out getting coffee and He clearly told you something important," Dean said as she tried not to make eye contact with him.

"Joanna, is the Father come to stop Lucifer?" Cas asked him, "You must know this, you are the first being he has made contact with in a very long time by my standards. This makes you a very holy person right now."

"I don't feel very holy, confused and pissed is more like it. Look, all He said was that He wasn't coming, I think He's not, he said I'm supposed to be able to do this without him before..."

"Before what?" Sam asked. She looked at him with heartbreak and gave away her response. He looked back at her with a stern face of understanding. She wanted to cry.

"So what happens if you don't do it in time? He's going to come and destroy Lucifer?"

"I guess he has to because he'll be too powerful to get close enough to," she explained.

"Okay you can't keep me in the dark like this guys," Dean said trying to get back into the conversation.

"I'll tell you more Dean when we have a moment," she whispered. She squeezed his hand under the table trying to show that she needed his understanding right now. Dean groaned in frustration but didn't respond. He grabbed his coffee, took a sip then stood up and slammed the door behind him as he went into the bathroom. Jo put her head in her hands and sighed.

"Why do I have to do this? Why can't you do it Castiel, you're the Angel for crying out loud! There's no way I can do this, and if I can't then _apparently Sam is going to say yes and He's gonna have to come down here and blow out half the world!" _she said, the last half in a whisper. Sam tried to keep a stony face at her words, realizing the gravity of the situation. Cas was quiet and intent as he listened to Jo, he couldn't believe while searching his Father had appeared to Jo. There was more to her message than she was telling, but he knew she would explain in due time.

"Oh Cas, I uh, I need your knife," she said, receiving a questioning look in return, "He said I would need it." At these words he retrieved it from his pocket and handed it to her, he could tell she was not misleading him. She put it in her bag and set it down on the table. Dean came out of the bathroom and remained standing at the end of the table.

"Thank you. I don't know much right now but I know what I need to do, which is not going to be easy and its going to take planning and preparation. We have to attack on the 66th day, it's our only shot, which means we have 12 days." The four of them all reached a silent conclusion of the days to come and it clicked between them what had to happen.

"That's not a lot of time," Dean said.

"I know, but it has to be enough. Our other option is one we don't want to have to apply," she said, picking up another shell.

......

Three quiet hours passed since their conversation and they were silently working away trying to formulate a plan of attack. Sam and Dean were sitting at the table, Jo was on the couch leaning against the arm with her knees up supporting the book she was skimming, and Cas was sitting at the end of the couch silent, occasionally looking over to Jo. It amazed him, the oddity that had occurred. His Father's presence still lingered in the room and would always be present in Joanna, it was a strange comfort in this troubling time. He wanted to find Father so badly now, if only to ask him of his plan. Jo was somewhat aware of this now, but was not given the answers she desired. He could see she was confused and worried about something she had yet to share with them. He knew now that she could very well be the one to defeat Lucifer, how, he was not sure at this point. He could only have faith.

......

**There ya go! Try to get the next chapter up soon, if I can maybe around midnight (EST), I'm driving to Toronto tonight for a quick recording session, I'll be back around 10. (Which I'm so excited for I've never been professionally recorded playing horn before so it's going to be a great experience) Reviews again, very much appreciated!! :-) Until next time!! Xoxoxo JESS**


	6. Understanding

**Chapter six is here!! :-) The recording was sooo awesome and I learned a lot, even if it was a two minute song :-P Really glad I got a chance to do it, now back to my writing! Hope you enjoyed the last chapter, now here's more :-)**

**Jate-JoDe, Jo Harv., deansmistress22, jesss, maron771121, ReporterGirl13, KtBug426, Kayla, Stranded and Russetstorm, thanks for your reviews, hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :-). **

**WARNING: chapter rated M**

**CHAPTER SIX: UNDERSTANDING **

They put their finished shells away and Sam turned to the clock, 1:14 am.

"I think we've done enough for today," he said yawning. Dean silently agreed and got up heading for the bed, while Jo stood up and headed for the door.

"Where are you going?" Dean asked.

"I need a drink," she said simply, not turning around to face him as she spoke. She opened the door letting it close behind her as she walked off to the motel bar. Dean turned to his brother giving him a confused look.

"What do I do?" he asked.

"Go with her," him brother encouraged. Dean took his brother's advice and went after Jo, finding her at the bar nursing a beer. He walked up and sat down beside her.

"One for me," he called to the bartender. She took another swig and continued to stare straight ahead.

"Wanna tell me what's bugging you? Besides everything in this world right now, but what happened... while I was gone?" he asked trying to keep the subject of his question hushed from the people around them.

"Look I don't want to have to get you thrown in the middle of this Dean," she said turning to him.

"A little late for that don't you think?" She sighed at the truth of his words.

"This is not going to be easy and going to be dangerous as hell, literally. I have no idea how I'm gonna do this, but you need to really think about what we promised each other."

"Jo, what exactly do you have to do?" he asked. She finished off her first beer and asked for another one. She took a swig of the second and turned to Dean.

"Pretty much, I need to get close enough to stab him with Cas' knife, which needs to be 'wet with the willing blood of a righteous warrior', whatever the hell that means. How am I supposed to do this, just walk up and tap on his shoulder?" she said keeping her voice down, "He'll be doing the ritual or something, but how am I gonna get close enough?"

"You mean how are 'we' going to," he said receiving an angry look from Jo, "Jo you know we're doing this as a team, 'cause you know there's no chance of this working without all of us."

"I know. That's what pisses me off the most," she said taking another swig, "There's something else." He looked at her with a deep concern, hearing the distraught tone of her voice.

"Dean, if this doesn't work... He said Sam would say yes and you would say yes. If we can't do this, it'll be too late and Michael and God are gonna burst in and blow out half the planet trying to stop him." She finished off her beer in one gulp, as did Dean.

"We're not letting that happen though, right? Sam isn't saying yes, I'm sure as Hell not saying yes, and more innocent people aren't going to die," he told her quietly, "We'll figure out a way to do this."

"I want to believe you, but can you blame me that I don't?" she asked him. She knew what she had just explained put an enormous amount of pressure on the both of them. The next 12 days were not going to be easy, and they're chances of survival just shrunk, if that was even possible. She knew in the pit of her stomach they weren't all going to see this through. She knew that in the moment she lay dying, and then was thrown back into this catastrophe. But she had the small chance of stopping Lucifer in his tracks and she had to take it no matter the consequences.

......

Four days passed like they were nothing, they still didn't know what they were going to do and they hated sitting around doing nothing. Dean had made pacing an Olympic sport, Jo had thrown herself into various books and research and Sam either slept or sat quietly at his laptop. Late night on the third day Castiel appeared again.

"You must pack up and leave now," he instructed. He voice was strained with urgency.

"What's wrong Cas?" Jo asked.

"Lucifer has through some means discovered the secret of Jo's intentions and his demons have begun a search. We must relocate immediately and I will send help when you reach your destination," he said.

"Where are we supposed to go?" Dean asked standing beside a slightly shaking Jo.

"There is a motel 15 miles east of here. I have tracked down some help for us, they will meet you there. Go quickly," he urged them. Dean and Jo grabbed for their bags and started stuffing while Sam gathered the papers and books. Within three minutes they were gone, all of them a little shaken from the swift change of atmosphere. Jo was in the back seat staring out the window, thoughts racing through her head. Now they knew for sure Lucifer knew about Jo, and it was going to be that much harder to get close enough to Lucifer. Her hair was a mess, wild curls and waves framed her pale face as brief flashes of light passed over her face as they sped past various bars and stores. Crunch time was coming a little earlier than expected and she was freaked out. She could see that Sam and Dean were both worried and she felt like she was making it worse, she had to be tough. Who was the righteous warrior? That was the question that would put her mind at ease.

......

They pulled into the parking lot and Jo went in to rent the rooms, she still had a good chuck of her poker and pool winnings from the past few months to put down a cash payment instead of a fake credit card. Before she got out of the car she asked Sam quietly if he would mind getting a room with separate bedrooms, getting an understanding smile in return. They got to their room and opened the door to a familiar face.

"What are you doing here?" Dean asked through his teeth. Gabriel was not the person he wanted to see most right now.

"I don't even get a hello? Seriously Dean. Look, Castiel sent me, said you needed some Angel mojo he doesn't have anymore," he said looking to Jo.

"What the hell are you staring at me for?" she asked him as he walked towards her. He placed a hand over her chest and closed his eyes.

"What the – shit?! What the hell did you just do?" she asked as it felt like someone had hit her with a wrecking ball.

"Protection. Now no angel or demon can find you," he explained. Dean unconsciously rubbed over his chest remembering when Cas had done the same thing to him and Sam.

"Any other reason you decided to pop in?" Sam asked.

"Michael's getting impatient, and our time is running out," Gabriel said in a serious tone.

"I knew it," Dean muttered, "Look, tell Michael he needs to find someone else, because we're going to do this without letting your brothers tear the world completely apart!"

"Easier said than done little Winchester! How the hell do you plan on defeating Lucifer?" he yelled back.

"Both of you just shut up!" Jo yelled getting bewildered glances from them, "Dean's not becoming a meat puppet, neither is Sam. Tell Michael to just sit tight and watch or find someone else, because I'm going to personally make sure this is finished."

"And what do you think you can do blondie?"

"Castiel didn't tell you did he? I take that as a no seeing that look on your face. Your daddy says hi, him and I had a little heart to heart the other day," she explained to him. His face softened and his posture eased.

"You...You spoke to him?" he asked.

"Yes, and I trust what I've been told and I know what I have to do. You have to have faith that we know what we're doing," she said.

"Kind of," Dean said quietly, receiving a punch in the arm from Jo.

"You're not bullshitting are you? You better know what the hell you're doing because if you don't end this when you have the chance, we will make for damn sure Dean agrees to Michael," Gabriel responded in a raged whispered. With that he disappeared from their sight and Jo rubbed her sore chest.

......

"Did he do that to you guys too?" she asked turning to the brothers.

"Yeah, it's gonna be sore for a while. Why don't we go over stuff in the morning, sleep off that chest pain," Sam suggested.

They all agreed and as Sam walked to the bathroom, Jo grabbed Dean by the collar and pulled him into a fierce kiss. He put his arms around her waist and dragged them up under her shirt. She pulled him back through the door to the bedroom and turned him around pushing him onto the bed.

"Where is this coming from? Not that I'm complaining," he said trying to catch a breath.

"I've wanted to do this since the last time I had you, I want more," she whispered as she crawled over him and took his mouth again. His hand began to wander hungrily as he quickly discovered this time was different, her touch was searing with lust and wanting. His skin felt like it was on fire wherever her fingertips had been. He made quick work of her shirt and bra as she tugged at his hair playfully. They fought for power over the other as Dean flipped Jo onto her back and left kisses down her jaw bone to her neck finally down to her collarbone. His hands massaged her breasts as her nipples grew hard in his grasp, air rushing into her lungs and she gasped. His lips traveled down to meet his hands and he took her in his mouth, sucking and nibbling and she moaned, continuing to tug his hair and shoulders. He answered her sounds of content and pulled on her jeans while keeping contact with her breasts. He pulled them down her legs, with them his lips, trailing down her stomach, over her moist panties to her inner thighs. He started at her knees and worked his wait up towards her trembling core. As he approached her felt her shudder beneath his touch which fuelled his desire for her even more. He pulled her panties down slowly and placed a kiss on her core. Jo dug her nails into the sheets and arched her back pushing herself to Dean. He sucked and nibbled at her hard, sensitive bud as she moaned his name, which only made him more excited. She pulled at his hair bringing him back up to her and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Dean, oh God Dean," she moaned into his ear as he placed his hand back where his mouth had been. She reached for his shorts and he quickly removed them allowing her to take him in her hand and stroke him. He groaned into her neck, a dark thick sound that made her skin tingle. He picked her up from underneath her legs and held her to him while never taking their lips apart.

"Please, I can't," she sighed as she wrapped her legs around his waist. He released her legs and put his hands on either side of her balancing over her. She looked up at him with sultry eyes and let them roll back as he entered her. He rocked quickly back and forth in time with their heavy breathing, grasping the headboard with one hand and wrapping the other under Jo's left shoulder. Jo pushed him to the side and flipped him on his back so she sat over him, clasping both his hands on either side of them and she rocked her hips against him. His head reared back into the pillow as she bounced faster and harder against him, damp curls falling in front of her face. He reached up with both his hands and pushed her hair back so he could see her face as her eyes opened slowly. He could feel her tighten and release her muscles as they stared into each other, they knew exactly what the other was thinking and responded with their bodies.

Jo couldn't believe the number of sensations that overwhelmed her body at that moment, she whimpered as she felt herself begin to peak. Her whole body trembled and her eyes rolled back while she moaned Dean's name. He reached up to her wrists pulling her down to him, and their lips met once again. Using his strength he sat up with her in her lap and he wrapped his arms under hers and held her as he thrust into her over and over. Her arms and legs were around him, her cheek against his, the sound of his sighs and gasps in her ear, hers responding to his.

"Jo," he whispered a single word before he released inside her and felt her peak with him. They remained sitting and panting together, skin sticking to skin and they came down from their momentary bliss. He buried his hands in her hair and could still taste the sweetness of her skin on his tongue. Jo sighed and pulled herself off him, lying back on the bed on her side, Dean falling onto his back. She looked over at him as his breathing regulated.

"What are we supposed to do now?" she whispered as her mind fell back to the topic of the day, "I'm pretty sure we just told off an Archangel half an hour ago."

"We've got eight days, we'll give it everything we've got and figure out a solution. Sam thinks he knows where the ritual is going to be, it's a start," he told her quietly. She gave him a small smile and he rubbed his hand up and down her arm. She closed her eyes and smelled his scent of leather and musk and decided to leave the subject for the morning. She rolled out of the bed and walked over to the bathroom. She washed her face and brushed her teeth before looking at herself in the mirror. Her hair was damp and curled from the sweat and her skin seemed to be glowing. She looked better than she had in weeks and felt better. There was still an apocalypse out there but being with Dean made life bearable, worth fighting for. She pulled her hair back into a ponytail and went back to the bedroom where Dean laid with his hands behind his head, sheets pulled up to his waist. She climbed in beside him and pulled the covers over her shoulders. He rolled over and scooped her up into a hug before laying a kiss on her forehead.

"We're gonna figure this out, I promise." This time she almost believed him.

**......**

Sam rolled over after hearing several minutes of silence from the room over and shoved his hand underneath his pillow. The clock was dwindling down and they didn't have a definitive plan as of yet and for the first time in a while he was getting more worried than normal. All he kept thinking was Detroit, what was going to happen at Detroit? He got out of bed and went over the research he'd compiled the last couple of days. He was 99 per cent sure that he was going to try to release Death. Crestlawn Memorial Park Cemetery, lots of bodies, and lots of room to gather people for a ritual this big. If they only knew how many demons they were going to be dealing with and maybe they could get Gabriel to help them in the big fight. He decided he would talk it over with Dean and Jo in the morning. He rolled onto his back and put his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. He drifted to sleep but was roused by a voice.

"Hello Sam." He opened his eyes and shot up staring into dark eyes.

"You! How?!" he yelled but was only given a smile.

"Relax Sammy you're dreaming, I'm just popping in to say hi, see how you're doing. I don't know where you are unfortunately, but you and I have this little link see, I call it fate," Lucifer explained sitting down in the chair opposite Sam.

"Can you honestly not a hint? Get the fuck out because you're not using me, not ever," he growled.

"See I don't think that's true Sam, I think it's just a matter of time. Do you really think the three of you can stop me? You really underestimate me Sam, my numbers are far greater than you know right now and you must know deep down you can't win. How will you even do it? That little girl that's been tagging around with you? I hate to tell you but her, and you're brother, are probably going to die. I know, I know, but we all have to come to terms with reality. Just wanted to make sure you're well and kicking, but I gotta get back to my work, lots to get done before the big day you know. See you around Sammy."

Sam shot up in bed in a cold sweat and rubbed his eyes. This was just getting better and better.

......

**Reviews appreciated, I really like hearing what you think. Also, about my comment before concerning my updates, I am going to try to keep updating but I'm not promising anything during that time. I really enjoy writing this story so I'll do my best. If I can update for most of December that's great, if not you know it's because of my exams. Until next time xoxoxo JESS **


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